Arctic Ice: Pausing Rather Than Declining?

It is 2012 that is exceptional which was due to an anomalous summer storm that compacted the ice. After the storm the ice returned to levels of a few years previously. There is no general decrease in minimal ice area 2007 – 2014. Things get more interesting when one considers the 1998 – 2014 period.

Clearly there has been a decline over this period but not a steady one. rather it has been a shift between two so-called ice pauses. Here is the 1998 – 2006 data.